Before the weekend meets us, I wanted to ask you all two questions that I didn't take the time to do during our class yesterday...please respond before class meets on MONDAY 9/9:
1. Why did you take this class?
2. Do you believe there can be an ideal government--briefly describe what that would look like OR why there can't be one.
1. I took this class because I thought It was interesting to find out how we got all these ideas we see in today's world governments.
ReplyDelete2. I do not believe there could be an ideal government. Everyone in the world has different opinions and ways of looking at the world. If we all had the same idea and agreed on everything then we wouldn't be humans, we would be machines. To find an ideal government, literally, all of the people in the nation or country have to come to an agreement and be satisfied with everything going on in the country. Since every single person varies in ideology such as religion, politics, even food, it would be hard to find an ideal government.
• I took this class for two reason. The first being, I enjoy history and I've never taken a class that discusses and examines the orientation of different groups and nations thinking. Second, I was recommended to take the class.
ReplyDelete• I don't believe that there could be an ideal government. If we learned anything from E.O. Wilson's On Human Nature, we know, that human's are naturally agressive and competitive. If this truly is the case, I cannot conceive that there is an ideal government. If humans are naturally agressive and competitive, as Wilson says, then wouldn't there always be a race to see who can become wealthier, who will have more food, or who will have more power? If there was an ideal government the agressive and competitive nature of humans would have to be singled out of human genetics by natural selection, and until that happens, I don't believe that there could ever be an ideal government.
1. I took this class for several reasons. First of all, I wanted to double up in history, one of my favorite subjects, and knew this would be a challenging class. In addition, I wanted to delve deeper into political philosophy and attain a better understanding of human motives and the ideas behind how our government was built. Lastly, political science could be an interest for me in college and I wanted to take this course to test how much I liked this field of study.
ReplyDelete2. I believe we have reached as ideal a government as human beings can hope for. This is not to say our government is perfect, far from it. But human beings have evolved through thousands of years to finally achieve a true democracy. This form of government is by far the most liberating in human history. While I do think the way in which our government runs could certainly be improved, people will always have different things that incentivize them. Human nature teaches us that we will never agree on everything and there will always be members of society who are selfish and greedy. I do not believe an ideal or perfect government exists, I think we have reached perhaps the best version of government human beings can hope for. Improvement is certainly possible, drastic reformation is not.
1. I have studied a small amount of political theory and philosophy in the past two years of high school and I have found what I have studied very interesting. I also enjoyed writing my Junior Thesis on an issue of political theory. I took this class because I have had a small exposure to the subject and have enjoyed what I studied.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that in thought, an ideal government exists; however, in practice, I do not believe that there is an ideal government. Many ideas on government are derived from an initial assumption on Human nature (e.g. Marx's Communist Dialectic). In thought, such a form of government appears ideal, or even in the case of Marx, inevitable. However, when put into practice, (though arguably misapplied) Marx's philosophies allowed men like Stalin and Mao to justify dictatorship. In the vacuum of thought, an ideal government can be achieved, but when exposed to the unpredictable nature of the real world, ideal government is impossible.
1. I took this class because I feel like I don't know enough about political theory, and I want to learn more.
ReplyDelete2. I think there could be an ideal government, theoretically. However, I don't think this government has happened yet. I think democracy is on the right track, but I think there is still much more for us learn. I think the American form of democracy is seriously lacking, especially in regards to the electoral college. I think a democracy should affect all states equally, not just those with large electoral college votes. I think an election should be won by popular vote, not electoral votes. For me, a ideal government would be more connected to the people.
1. I took this class because i was interested in the theory behind politics and was happy to see there was a history course explaining the theory behind political thinking.
ReplyDelete2. I don't believe that there could be an ideal government. I dont feel that an ideal government exists because everyone has a different opinion on what "ideal" is. Different cultures view politics differently and different genes cause people to have different feelings as well. I could create a government in which i feel works perfectly and that i see is fair to all people. However, someone could feel the opposite about the government i thought it up and contradict every idea i had. This is why it is not possible to create a perfect government, it is not possible to please everyones needs and ideas.
1. I took this class because I don't know a lot about political theory, and I thought that it would be interesting to learn more about it and how it is implied in politics today.
ReplyDelete2. I don't think that it is possible for an ideal government because I think there would be a lot of discrepancies between what is ideal and what is not. I believe the differences in opinions of an ideal government, would ultimately lead to devastation in society. Also, different political parties may believe their government is ideal (i.e. communism), but I believe it is impossible to create an ideal political organization.